Golf club with horizontally adjustable pointer



C. NUNZIATO July 26, 1966 GOLF CLUB WITH HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE POINTER Filed Sept. 19, 1965 Char/es Nunz/a/o INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,262,705 GOLF CLUB WITH HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE POINTER Charles Nunziato, 711 North St., Daytona Beach, Fla. Filed Sept. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 310,024

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-163) the invention pertains to direction indicating means which I is satisfactorily applicable to and usable in conjunction with golf clubs which are used oil? the tee and in the fairway, it is preferably and consequently best adapted for use on the shaft of a putter and for use in conjunction with a putter head to greatly assist the golfer in accurately lining up the putt with the cup on the green whereby to thus leave himself free, as it were, to merely gauge the distance between the ball and the cup and to read the green.

Persons conversant with golfing aids for putters such as sighting attachments, direction indicating attachments, stroke gauging and other orientation contrivances are aware that many and varied adaptations have been devised by persons in this field of endeavor with a view toward enabling a golfer to improve his aim and swing and consequently improving his score. The Williams putter attachment Patent 2,898,109 and the Partridge indicator attachment Patent 3,033,574 are typical prior art adaptations which if checked will enable the reader to categorize the nature of the instant invention.

Briefly, to advance the art and with a view toward achieving results which are reliably consistent the present invention relies for novelty on a simple pointer. This pointer comprises a rigid indicating arm or finger which when in proper relation to the shaft and head of the club assumes a generally horizontal elevated position, that is, a position elevated above the upper-or top portion of the club head and also sufliciently elevated to move in a path Well above the position of the ball when the ball is in a putting position. An adapter bracket is provided for detachably and .adjustably mounting the pointer, said adapter bracket comprising a simple clip which can be clasped on the shaft, said clip carrying an integral outstanding adapter arm and the median portion of said arm having an elongated loop supporting the cooperating rearward end of the pointer, said rearward end being slidable along said loop, whereby adjustments in a horizontal plane are permit-ted.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation showing a conventional type golfers putter, illustrating the golf ball and, what is more significant, the attachment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a section of the horizontal section line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the attachment by itself with the component parts separated from each other;

FIGURE 4 is a view on a larger scale taken on the plane of the section line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a view in perspective of a modified form of direction indicating pointer.

3,262,705 Patented July 26, 1966 With reference now to FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, and particularly to FIG. 1 it will be noted that the putter comprises a conventional shaft 6 having the usual hosel or equivalent connector 8 joined with a putter head 10 the ball striking or impacting surface of which is denoted at 12. The golf ball is denoted at 14.

The attachment features two principal components or parts one of which provides a readily applicable and removable adapter bracket denoted generally by the numeral 16 and the complemental part constituting the sighting, lining up and indicating finger or pointer (also indicator) this being denoted by the numeral 18. The adapter is preferably of one-piece construction and is also preferably made of lightwenght durable but moldable plastic material. At one end a substantially C-shaped attaching clip 20 is provided. This clip is of general C-shaped form as at 22 to embrace the hosel 8 in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The resilient gripping jaws thereof are denoted at 24 and these are appropriately shaped to provide the gripping action and have free end or terminal portions 26 which are flared outwardly and away from each other to assist in applying and removing the clip. The bight portion 28 of the clip is provided with an integral outstanding linearly straight arm which comprises a shank portion 30, a free end or tip portion 32, and an elongated loop portion 34. The opening in this loop portion serves to accommodate a screw-threaded stud 36 provided at one end of the pointer or indicator 18. The pointer proper is denoted at 38 and it too is linearly straight and it is provided adjacent the stud with an outstanding disk-like member which constitutes a limit stop 40. The screwthreaded stud extends through the slot in the loop or link and serves to accommodate a wing nut 42. Thus the pointer is detachably mounted on the loop and slidable along said loop,. whereby adjustments in a horizontal plane are readily permitted.

There may be instances where one would prefer a pointer or indicating finger of the type illustrated in FIG. 5 which is conveniently designated by the numeral 43, the same having a rigid shank or finger proper as at 44 ter minating in a pointed terminal or head 46. The shank at the other end is indicated at 48 and the adjacent abutment shoulder or stop at 50.

In practice it will be seen that the adapter bracket 16 is applied with the clip means 20 embracing the hosel of the shaft. The clip may be placed at any desired elevation in relation to the upper edge portion of the ball striking head 10. When the clip is thus applied the adapter arm extends in a generally horizontal plane and it can and should be lined up with the upper edge of the head so that it is thus coplanar and substantially parallel to but spaced from the head. Assuming then that the indicator finger or pointer I18 is in place as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, and by trial and error the blade or head of the club is related to the ball in the manner shown it will be evident that the nut 42 can be loosened and the end members 36 and can be adjusted so that the indicator is above the center of the ball as illustrated in FIG. 2. It is to be noted that the finger here is such that it projects at right angles beyond the forward face of the blade or head. This is significant because when the blade and club are drawn back that is in adirection away from the ball and are then moved forwardly again the user by maintaining the desired line of sight can focus upon both the direction indicator and the ball and can move the indicator relative to the ball in properly oriented association. The attachment can be used as a highly satisfactory practice and training device. In addition it can be used in actual play for the reason that the attachment is light in weight and does not interfere with the balance and handling of the club.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occurs to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shownand described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a conventional-type golf ball putter embodying a shaft provided with means functionally designed and structurally adapted to aid the user of said club to accurately position the head of the club relative to the ball and thus orient and line up said head preparatory to putting said ball, said means embodying a direction indicating pointer disposed at right angles to the lengthwise axis of said head and putting face, said pointer projecting forwardly of and to a terminal position well beyond the plane of said face and being disposed in a horizontal plane well above the said head and ball, and means mounting said pointer on said shaft, said means comprising an adapter having a clip removably mounted on a predetermined portion of the aforementioned shaft,

said adapter also embodying a rigid arm, said arm being connected rigidly to said clip and having an elongated loop, and said pointer having an attachable rearward end portion detachably connected with said loop and slidable along said loop, whereby adjustments in a horizontal plane are permitted. a

2. In combination, a conventional-type golf ball putter embodying the usual handle-equipped shaft, said shaft provided with a regular blade-type head at its lower end, said head having a forward ball putting face, and means adapted to aid the user of the putter to accurately position the face of said head relative to the locale of the golf ball and to accordingly orient and line up the head and ball on the surface of a putting green prior to putting the ball toward the cup, said means comprising a spring clip removably and adjustably mounted on said shaft above the plane of said blade and an arm having an inward end rigidly joined to said clip, said arm being disposed at right angles to the longitudinal aXis of said shaft and in a horizontal plane above the plane of the upper edge of said head and being generally parallel to said upper edge, and a direction indicating pointer, the median portion of said am embodying a horizontal elongated loop, said pointer having .a rearward end provided with a shouldered screwthreaded shank, said shank passing rearwardly through the opening of said loop and beyond the rearward side of the lop .and provided with an assembling and clamping nut, said rearward end being slidable along said loop, whereby adjustments of said pointer in a horizontal plane are permitted.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,536,512 5/1925 McLaren 273192 X 2,723,125 11/1955 Comee 273-463 2,910,297 10/1959 Bonetate 273194 X 2,986,937 6/1961 Chapman 273-162 X 3,198,525 8/1965 Smith 273163 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,608 1904 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

G. I. MARLO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CONVENTIONAL-TYPE GOLF BALL PUTTER EMBODYING A SHAFT PROVIDED WITH MEANS FUNCTIONALLY DESIGNED AND STRUCTURALLY ADAPTED TO AID THE USER OF SAID CLUB TO ACCURATELY POSITION THE HEAD OF THE CLUB RELATIVE TO THE BALL AND THUS ORIENT AND LINE UP SAID HEAD PREPARATORY TO PUTTING SAID BALL, SAID MEANS EMBODYING A DIRECTION INDICATING POINTER DISPOSED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LENGTHWISE AXIS OF SAID HEAD AND PUTTING FACE, SAID POINTER PROJECTING FORWARDLY OF AND TO A TERMINAL POSITION WELL BEYOND THE PLANE OF SAID FACE AND BEING DISPOSED IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE WELL ABOVE THE SAID HEAD AND BALL, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID POINTER ON SAID SHAFT, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN ADAPTER HAVING A CLIP REMOVABLY MOUNTED ON A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SHAFT, SAID ADAPTER ALSO EMBODYING A RIGID ARM, SAID ARM BEING CONNECTED RIGIDLY TO SAID CLIP AND HAVING AN ELONGATED LOOP, AND SAID POINTER HAVING AN ATTACHABLE REARWARD END PORTION DETACHABLY CONNECTED WITH SAID LOOP AND SLIDABLE ALONG SAID LOOP, WHEREBY ADJUSTMENTS IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE ARE PERMITTED. 